Farah Al Qasimi

Born 1991 | Abu Dhabi
Lives and works New York

Farah Al Qasimi is an artist and musician whose practice over the years has moved fluidly between private and public spaces. Spanning the gallery’s wall, Letters for Occasions 2023 and photographs recall Al Qasimi’s distinctive method of displaying either framed photographs or flat-screen monitors on top of large-scale wallpapered images that echo advertisements and algorithms. The collaged images collectively reveal her ongoing interest in documenting and creating alternative narratives of Arab culture, style, taste, and interior spaces. In early 2021, during Al Qasimi’s time in quarantine after travelling to the United Arab Emirates, she photographed in and around her family home, referencing an old family album documenting their westward migration. Focusing on the significance of a personal archive, she introduces the ubiquitous floral tablecloths, garments, wallpaper, and interior decor of her childhood. Through the intimacy and interiority of a lens, Al Qasimi’s photographs and blown-up images explore notions of cultural hybridity—living between multiple cultures—as well as ideas around labour and means of production in relation to her family history.

Farah Al Qasimi, Installation view, 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023). Image courtesy Gwangju Biennale Foundation. Photo: glimworkers